where we wed

Dave and I were lucky enough to hold our wedding ceremony in Assembly Chamber of the Wisconsin State Capitol. You know, where they pass bills and stuff. It was pretty awesome (though I admit, I might be biased). Our guests were allowed to sit in the representatives' chairs, each of which comes equipped with a 'yay' and 'nay' button for voting. Like I said, we were very lucky. 

So of course we had to visit while we were back in Madison over Christmas, right? Right. Except it was closed. Yes, after spending 45 minutes looking for a parking spot in the snow, we were devastated to find the doors locked for the holidays :(

Alas, we were forced to eat away our grief at The Old Fashioned across the street. Turns out, fried cheese curds go a long way in mending a broken heart (ok yeah, and raising your cholesterol). 

in madison, wisconsin...

if you order a bloody mary, it will arrive with a complimentary beer chaser (hurrah!)

you can find new glarus beer, penzey's spices (the best!), and squeaky fresh cheese curds.



cow things are everywhere. (and please note that this was taken outside of a wonderful establishment called state street brats. yes, brats are also everywhere.)



the people are exceptionally nice - nicer than anywhere in the world, in my opinion - but the police will not hesitate to give you a parking ticket ...  especially if you have illinois plates (see: fib).



you can buy pretty much anything with bucky badger on it (and i mean anything). we chose these awesome t-shirts.



independent coffee shops outnumber starbucks by... a lot (that's my precise scientific assessment).

it's true; we really do wear cheese on our heads.

cows, too (hey, it gets very cold here).



it's pretty, even in the dead of winter.

this city will always be home to me. not chicago, not san francisco. it's where i grew up, attended college, and got married. it's diverse, tolerant, educated, spirited, liberal, and i love it infinitely. in fact, i would probably live here permanantly if it weren't so dang cold (and if the public trans were better because let's face facts, i'm never going to drive). i'm so happy i got a chance to hang out here for a few days over the holidays.

madison, je t'aime.

homebound

This time next week, Dave and I will be flying home for the holidays. Yay! A few days in Chicago, a few in Madison, and then a few more in Chicago. It's bound to be a whirlwind couple of weeks and I cannot wait. 

Truth be told, I am a feeling a little homesick these days. Christmas in California is weird; all of the telltale signs of the holidays are strikingly absent. You know, like winter. I mean, December without snow is just strange. And the big Christmas tree in Union Square is flanked by palm trees, people. That is just not right.

Plus, our usual Christmas shopping traditions (including a leisurely jaunt down Michigan Avenue) have been crushed by practicality. To avoid hauling packages on the plane, we have (reluctantly) decided to ship all of our Christmas presents instead. Turns out, placing an online order is not nearly as joyous and satisfying as walking out of a store with your purchase in hand. Without presents to wrap or a Christmas tree to decorate, and without nights cold enough for hot chocolate and ice skating, Christmas here is feeling a little empty thus far.

Of course, we can easily overcome the minor oddities associated with spending the holidays in a warm climate (there are worse things in life than palm trees, I know). But we are missing our hometowns and our homepeople terribly, and it's hard to get past. Really hard. Don't get me wrong, we know San Francisco is the right place for us and we look forward to spending many more years here. It does, however, lack a few things that are distinctly Chicago and uniquely Wisconsin, things that we are really looking forward to experiencing again:

*

snow

cheese curds

spotted cow/312

deep fried everything

ice skating in grant park

frozen custard from culver's

christmas lights on michigan avenue

the chicago skyline (the prettiest in the world)

midwest accents (californians make me feel like this)

ian's macaroni and cheese pizza (don't be afraid, it's so good!)

eleven city diner (i have yet to find decent matzo ball soup out here)

***

And of course, we cannot wait to hug our families and friends. We have missed them most of all...

P.S. Please note that I did not add Chicago style pizza to the list. No, no, no. We haven't been away for that long. 

wisconsin + minnesota

Here we are about to leave my parents' house, and all things familiar, to officially begin the long drive to California:

After a lovely, and very early, breakfast at the Original Pancake House (one of my favorite Madison spots), we were off! 

Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos during the drive through Wisconsin or Minnesota. We were so busy plotting out our whole new life (and ok, getting lost) that I completely forgot about my camera until we pulled into our hotel in South Dakota. Oops! Blogger fail :(

But I can assure you, Wisconsin is a magnificently beautiful state. In fact -- and I am not biased in any way -- it is my favorite state :)

To be fair, this favoritism is a somewhat recent development. Only in the last five years or so have I come to appreciate all Wisconsin has to offer. The charm was definitely lost on me as a kid. Cows and farms, yeah, whatever. All I wanted was the city; skyscrapers and subways for this girl.

My momma, on the other hand, grew up in west Philadelphia and moved to Wisconsin in her thirties. After all these years, the quaint red barns, rolling hills, and spotted cows of the Wisconsin countryside still astound her. Whenever my mom and I would drive down a scenic country road (which, in Wisco, is rather often), she'd frantically tap my arm, point, and exclaim with such a childlike enthusiasm, 'Look, a COW!!!' Every. Single. Time.

As Dave and I drove north (or 'up nord' as the locals say) toward Minnesota, I found myself doing the exact same thing. 'Ooh, Davey, look at that cute little farm! I see a little baby cow! Aw, and there's a whole family of cows! Weeee, a hill!!'

Ultimately, I'm really glad we opted for the Wisconsin detour. It was wonderful to be home, if ever briefly. My only regret is that we did not stop for a cheese curd break or pick up a case of New Glarus Beer to enjoy upon arrival in California. Oh well, it's not like we'll never be back...

Oh yeah, and Minnesota was nice too. Crossing the Mississippi River was definitely a highlight -- the rock formations that jut out of the earth were really awesome, and such a stark contrast against the otherwise forested landscape. We were just a few weeks too early, but in the fall, I could see this little nook of the country being absolutely breathtaking.

P.S. I think it goes without saying that leaving my parents was really emotional too. I cried. A lot.
P.P.S. Thanks for lending us the GPS, guys. We probably would have ended up in Mexico without it!